The present invention relates to improvements in point-of-sale displays, particularly those that have aids to urge product toward the front of the shelf, known in the trade as "pusher"-type displays.
It is known to display packages such as envelopes of pantyhose in a self-feeding arrangement. This includes a rack having side walls and horizontally extending bars with a tray supported on the bar in a slanted manner. The tray is divided into channels and a box of, literally, rocks is positioned behind the product in the channels. By virtue of the slant of the channel, the box of rocks pushes the products forwardly in the channel as each forwardmost package is removed. This arrangement has been used successfully for a number of years, but it has a number of disadvantages. First, the rocks, being provided simply for the purpose of providing weight, make the entire display a very heavy device, raising shipping costs. Also, since the tray in which the product is displayed is integrally formed, the channels are of an invariable size. Thus, to display products of a different size, the entire tray and boxes of rocks must be discarded and be replaced by a different product. Furthermore, it has been found that the box of rocks may lose or absorb moisture and these can be a source of biological activity giving rise to unsightly growths, clearly undesirable in a merchandising environment.
Spring-driven pusher displays are known, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,201 to Breslow and assigned to RTC Industries, Inc. That display uses a spring-urged motive member to direct product toward the front of a shelf, with the spring being mounted on a component which acts as a divider as well as a spring anchor. The apparatus of the Breslow patent can be used with merchandise of various sizes, but the side dividers must be positioned with care, something that does not invariably happen in field installations. The result may be the dividers are positioned too close together, so that the product is pinched and does not advance properly. Or, the dividers may be too far apart, so that the product is delivered sideways or, simply that valuable shelf space will be wasted.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a point of purchase display having pusher capability, but which can be easily and inexpensively modified to vary from one product size to another, without requiring expensive field expertise.